Laminated box toe stiffening material



' INVENTOR. 5074* K5. 7M1,

R. B. HARRISON LAMINATED Box TOE s'rm-ENING MATERIAL Filed June 20, 1947 a 57:: s. APE-Q3323)? Nov. 4, 1952 fiatentecl Nov. 4,

' UNI T ED PAT T F F] (If.

2-,616',82 1 LAMINATEUBOX OE S I FE' iiN MATERIAL RaymondR' Harrison; Braint'rec, Mass assignor to Beckwith Manufacturing "Company, Dover,

N. H., a corporation of NewH'ampshir-ie Application June 20, 1947 ,-SerialNo. 756,092

1" Claim. 1

This invention comprises a new and improved laminated "box toe material and a novel process of manufacturing the same.

In the manufacture of boots and shoes it is essential that the box toe blankswhich are relied -upon- 'for stiffening the toe portion of the shoe should carry a sufficient load of "either thermoplastic or .solventesoftening stiffeningmaterial to supply the requisite stiffness and resiliency in the finished shoe-and-should also be permanently united to the ;lining of the shoe or-to the outer integu-ment of the upper in case no lining .is used. If a-permanent union is not made the material of the box toe is likely to let go from the rest of the upper and sag and drop inside the shoe and thus cause great discomfort to the user. The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved box toe material to which an adequate supply of stiffening compound may be rapidly applied and which in its finished condition will present a napped surface well adapted to receive and contain a copious coating of cement prior to being incorporated in the structure of the upper.

In one aspect therefore the invention comprises a process of making laminated box toe material by bringing together and uniting by pressure a dry napped sheet of fabric and a sheet of fabric saturated with thermoplastic or solvent softening material in liquid form, and therefore providing a composite sheet having an internal film of stiffening material and lofted nap on one of its exterior surfaces. The improved construction thus derived may be contrasted with box toe material heretofore available and produced by passing napped fabric sheets through a liquid impregnant with the result that the nap is flattened so that it will not readily hold enough cement to insure permanent anchorage in the upper of the shoe.

Going more into detail it is proposed to develop a composite laminated sheet from two plies of textile material each of which may be either single or double napped. One of these sheets is passed through a bath of liquid impregnant and then affixed by pressure to the other which is brought to the line of union in a dry condition so that its outer napped surface remains lofted and unfiattened in the finished product. The nap of the saturated sheet meanwhile forms a bibulous carrier for the liquid impregnant and if the dry sheet is double napped the nap upon its inner face being united with the nap of the saturated sheet increases the carrying capacity of the composite sheet so that a film of substantial thickness is deposited between the-two sheets;

These-and other characteristics and features of theinventi'on will be best understood and appreciated-from the following description of a preferred manner" ofcarrying itout as illustrated n th fac e p i e d w n s, v s

Fig. l'is-a'd-iagrammaticyiew illustrating the e is'a view perspective of a' portion of thecom positesheet-product,

Fig. 3 is a plan-yi'ewofa box toe blankmade therefrom, and

Fig.4 is'a view of the material in cross s'ection on a greatly enlarged scale.

In Fig. 1 is conventionally represented a tank I0 containing a stiffening composition I I in liquid form and provided with guide rollers I2, I3 and I4. A fibrous textile sheet I5 having a single napped surface uppermost is led from a coil I6 over the guide roll I2 and immersed in the impregnant II by being carried around the roll I3. The sheet then passes upwardly over roll I4 with which cooperates a squeeze roll I'I. At this point surplus liquid impregnant is stripped from the sheet and returned to the tank. The saturated sheet is now guided in a horizontal path between a pair of squeeze rolls I8 and I9.

A second single napped sheet 20 having its napped surface uppermost is led from a coil 2| directly to the squeeze rolls I8 and I9 in dry condition. In passing through the bite of the rolls I8 and I9 the two sheets are adhesively and permanently united into a composite laminated sheet having lofted nap 22 upon its upper surface. Enclosed between the two plies of the composite sheet is a continuous film 23 of stiffening compound as best shown in Fig. 4. It will be understood that the nap of the sheet I5 serves as a bibulous carrier for the liquid stifi'ening composition and that the sheet I5 may be single or double napped as preferred. The liquid impregnant completely saturates the sheet I5 and when that sheet is combined with the dry sheet 20 the impregnant is soaked at least partially into it. As suggested in Fig. 4 the impregnant fills about half the thickness of the sheet 20 but in no case does it penetrate to the nap 22. Since the upper surface of the sheet 20 remains dry the nap having natural resilience remains lofted.

The composite sheet after leaving the squeeze roll I3 may be festooned in a circuitous path and dried. Box toe blanks are then cut or died out of the composite sheet in substantially the shape shown in Fig. 3 and these may be skived in the usual manner. It will be understood that each blank contains a substantial film of thermoplastic or solvent softening composition and presents a napped surface well adapted to take up rapidly and retain a copious coating of cement when preparing it to be inserted in the shoe upper or preparatory to the pulling over or lasting operations.

In practice I have found it desirable to employ either double or single napped flannel or buck ram as the textile material for the sheets l5 and 20. comprise polyvinyl resin in the form of a low viscosity emulsion or natural gums, resins and waxes such as montan, candelilla, carnauba or synthetic waxes such as Mekan, Sunwax," Estawax, etc., or combinations of the same. Satisfactory thermoplastic compositions are cellulose acetate or nitrate ethyl cellulose, methacrylate, vinyl acetate, butyral, or chloride or combinations of the same.

The box toe material of my invention has been described heretofore as comprising two plies only but it is contemplated that three 01 more plies may be employed if desired. For example, one or more intermediate sheets of double napped fabric may be interposed between the sheets l5 and 20 shown in Fig. 1 with theresult that the composite sheet immerging from the squeeze rollers l8 and [9 will have three distinct enclosed continuous films of the stiffening composition and an outer surface of lofted nap.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

Satisfactory stiffening compositions may- Y Box toe stifiening material in laminated sheet form comprising two woven textile sheets united in continuous face-to-face engagement, one of said sheets being completely saturated with a thermoplastic stiffening compound and the other sheet being saturated with the same compound only part way through from its inner surface and having an outer surfaceof lofted nap which is dry and retains its natural resilience and will rapidly take up and retain cement applied thereto, and an intermediate film of the same stiffening compound enclosed between the two sheets, the laminated sheet being moldable when heated and stiff and resilient at normal temperature.

RAYMOND B. HARRISON.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,293,037 Clark Feb. 4, 1919 1,720,764. Silvester et a1 July 16, 1929 1,721,549 Eaton July 23, 1929 1,746,249 Fausse Feb. 11, 1930 1,840,603 Pratt Jan. 12, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 120,750 Great Britain Nov. 19, 1918 464,751 Great Britain Apr. 23, 1937 

